Claims, Counterclaims, & Fallacies

A claim is a(n)...

• opinion or belief

• fact or truth

• interpretation of fact

A counterclaim is a(n)...

• reasonable challenge to a claim

• contradiction to a claim

• flaw in reasoning

Tags

CCSS.W.7.1A

CCSS.W.7.1C

The strongest evidence for a fact-based claim is...

Click all that apply.

• directly supports the claim

• comes from a credible source

• based on personal experience only

• is an opinion

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.8

CCSS.W.7.1B

Credible evidence in argumentative writing includes...

Check all that apply.

• facts

• personal experiences

• statistics

• scientific studies

• dreams

Tags

CCSS.W.7.1B

CCSS.W.7.8

CCSS.W.7.9A

A fallacy is a...

• biased reasoning

• logical argument

• mistake or flaw in logic

Consider this claim:

Learning to play an instrument can help you succeed academically.

Which piece of evidence better supports this claim?

• A long-term study at a top research university showed that children who had learned to play an instrument in the past year had greater self-confidence than those who had not.

• Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital scanned the brains of musicians and non-musicians while they completed various tasks. Musicians showed increased brain activity in areas that could strengthen school performance.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.8

CCSS.W.7.1B

CCSS.W.7.9A

Consider the claim:

It is possible for a person to have more than one best friend.

Now consider how someone might argue against this.

Which sentence presents the stronger and more reasonable counterclaim to the above claim?

• The word best means "above all others," so by definition, it's only possible to have one best friend.

• The perfect number of friends is three because that way you never have to be alone, but you're never in a crowd.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.8

CCSS.SL.7.3

CCSS.W.7.1A

CCSS.W.7.1B

CCSS.W.7.1C

Which logical fallacy is used in the text?

My opponent argues that we should abolish the soda tax. It's a shame that he wants to encourage people to eat and drink unhealthily. I say we keep it.

• guilt by association

  an unfair negative association with another person or group that is intended to discredit someone or something

• straw man

  a misrepresentation of an opponent's position that makes it easier to argue against

• ad hominem

  an attack against the person making the argument, rather than the argument itself

Which logical fallacy is used in the text?

The number of pirates in existence decreased as the global average temperature rose. Therefore, we can conclude that hotter weather reduces piracy.

• slippery slope fallacy

  the false assumption that a small first step will necessarily lead to extreme consequences

• false dichotomy

  an argument that presents only two choices when more options exist

• circular reasoning

  an argument that supports a claim with the claim itself

Read the claim and the supporting evidence.

Claim: Eve should not be elected class president.

Evidence: The other candidate, Seth, is much more collaborative.

Why does the evidence support the claim? Choose the analysis that better explains the connection.

• Seth also has more leadership experience.

• Good leaders must be collaborative.

Tags

CCSS.RI.7.1

CCSS.RI.7.8

CCSS.SL.7.3

CCSS.W.7.1B